From Europe to Jesi

Hey! It's been a while...  Today I thought I'd show you what a typical day in my life as an ESC volunteer looks like! The first thing you should know is that no two days are the same. Every day brings something different, so you have to get used to change and learn to embrace flexibility. That's one of the best parts of this experience! Our day usually starts around 7:50 a.m. (I know... it's early! ). But waking up a bit earlier means we can have breakfast peacefully without rushing. Then we walk about 10 minutes to Caritas, which is actually a great way to wake up before starting work. Let's imagine it's Wednesday, one of my busiest days. As soon as we arrive, we head straight to the kitchen, where we work with Roberta, the head chef. She knows absolutely everything and keeps the kitchen running perfectly! On Wednesdays, I also work alongside two amazing Italian volunteers, Adele and Jana. They have so much experience, and I always lear...

Ciao!  გამარჯობა!  It's Ana from Georgia.   I recently arrived in Jesi to take part in 3 month volunteering project through the European Solidarity Corps (ESC).  on my way to Jesi Allora, I'm 22. I graduated from the Georgian University of Public Affairs (GIPA) last year with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology.  I always wanted to join a volunteering project, but never had enough time. This was the perfect moment to step out from my comfort zone and do more. Everything works out with pure heart and intentions and the most important - faith!  Jesi. It's only been one week since I arrived here, but I already feel welcomed by everyone. I already feel that this is only the very beggining of my story and I will learn, grow and take a lot from this place... That was really really brief introduction about me, that's all for now, but see you in the next post! A presto!  ⭐ Jesi.

  Heyyyy everyone! "What's the difference between an ESC volunteer and someone doing Servizio Civile Universale?" At first, I also thought they were basically the same thing. We all volunteer, we all help people, and sometimes we even work side by side. But there are actually some differences! 🌍 ESC (European Solidarity Corps) / Corpo Europeo di Solidarietà I'm an  ESC volunteer , which means I came from another European country (in my case, Spain ) to volunteer in Italy . The ESC is a programme funded by the European Union that allows young people to participate in volunteering projects and solidarity actions in different countries. The main goals are to promote social inclusion, cultural exchange, solidarity, and community development. To join an ESC project, you usually need to: Be between 18 and 30 years old (up to 35 years old for humanitarian aid projects) Go to a country different from your country of residence Participate in a project that can...

After 6 months, my ESC project here in Caritas has now come to an end. I am so grateful I came here to Italy, grateful for al the wonderful people I have come across in this project and the things I have learnt. The people I have met have thought me to be truly grateful for al the different things in life and not take anything for granted, as well as seizing each opportunity you get. Not only have I grown as a person, my view of the world has been broaden and I hope I will carry al this with me in the future. I hope the next volunteer will have as wonderful of a time as I have had! Til next time, Karin 🩷

  ON ARRIVAL TRAINING (OAT) This week I had the opportunity to experience one of the most anticipated trainings for a European Solidarity Corps volunteer: the On Arrival Training in Frascati. The OAT is a week where you take part in team-building activities, cultural exchanges, conflict management workshops, and a visit to Rome. These are five intense days designed to prepare and connect ESC volunteers from all over Italy. It has been a week of meeting many new people, having lots of conversations, and discovering new and very interesting projects, as well as having the opportunity to explore possible new adventures for the future once the volunteering experience comes to an end. I am very happy to have had this opportunity because I have learned a lot.   Friends I met during the OAT — we took this photo on our trip to Rome! With my colleague from Cingoli (VivoloCorto team).

Appart from the work we do in Caritas, we like to expolre what Jesi and the surrounding area has to offer. So here we present you a list of some of our favurites things; food coffe and nice places to visit! SPOTS TO SEE: Lake of Cingoli Born from the damming of the Musone River in the 1980s, Lake Cingoli (or Castreccioni) is today the largest artificial basin in the Marche region. It's the perfect place to spend the afternoon with friends, eat lunch and have an aperitivo. Monte San Vicino San Vicino is a mountain of the Umbrian-Marches Apennines located in the province of Macerata, not far from the border with the province of Ancona. A perfect spot to go for a hike and the top of the mountain is the perfect place to have a picnic and enjoy the views. Perugia   A city of art rich in history and monuments, Perugia is a cultural, productive, and managerial hub of the region, and an international tourist destination. The University of Perugia (1308) is one of the oldest in Italy and in...

  Hi! I’m Júlia, I’m 23 years old and I’m from Barcelona! I’m the new volunteer in the European Voluntary Corps (ESC) programme, and I’ll be working for 6 months at Caritas in Jesi, Italy. So… you might be wondering: who is this girl? Let me introduce myself! As I said, I’m 23 (turning 24 in September — I’m a Virgo!). In 2024, I graduated in Social Education from the University of Barcelona. I'm the one on the right!! During my university years, I worked weekends as a waitress in a pizza restaurant, and later I had the chance to work with my brother in a small jewelry shop. These experiences taught me a lot — from responsibility and consistency to managing my time and earning my own money. After finishing my degree, I quickly started working as a social educator. My first experience was in social inclusion housing in Barcelona. Later on, I spent six months working in a women’s shelter and a day centre. After that, I joined Caritas (this time in Barcelona!) in a multi-purpose centre...

I can’t believe time has passed so quickly. It feels like yesterday that I arrived in Jesi and got a tour though the whole Caritas facility. But since then, six months have passed. This experience has been valuable to me in more than just one way and I will never forget the precious time that I spent here. It’s hard to put into words how much this project helped me grow personally and how much I learned while volunteering here. I’m so grateful for all of the people I got to meet during my stay in Jesi. My ESC project here gave me the opportunity to make friends from all over the world who shared a lot about their countries and cultures with me. Therefore, they made it possible for me to widen my horizons and it’s their fault that so many places got added to my travel list 😆 Of course, I also found a lot of new friends from this area who introduced me to Italian dinners (something I’ll certainly continue after coming back to Austria!) and who often planned trips to show me around the a...

Hello! My name is Karin and I am the new ESC volonteer here at Caritas in Jesi. I am 19 years old and come from Sweden.  I graduated from highschool in June 2025, where I studied a social science and classical choir music program. Although I loved it, it was a very stressful time and when I graduated I was mentally exhausted. I had no plans on going abroad or volunteering.  So, after highschool, I worked at a café, in elderly care and studied a night course in philosophy. I really enjoyed my work and found my studies interesting, but after having had the time to recover that I needed I realised I wanted to do something more with my time. I wanted to do something that would challenge me and help me grow, as well as doing something to help other people.  A year earlier, I had heard of the possibility to do volunteering through an Erasmus program. Although I was not sure that was what I wanted to do, I decided to check the possibilities they had to offer. Since I have studie...